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Fwd: Frontiers for Synchrotron Research on Soft Matter and Biomaterials

  • Subject: Fwd: Frontiers for Synchrotron Research on Soft Matter and Biomaterials
  • From: "Dr. John D. Barnes" <john.barnes@nist.gov>
  • Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 08:06:36 -0500
Sender: ben ocko <ben@solids.phy.bnl.gov>
Subject: Frontiers for Synchrotron Research on Soft Matter and Biomaterials


Dear colleague,

We are organizing a 3-day workshop on "Frontiers in Synchrotron Research on
Soft Matter and Biomaterials".  The workshop will be held in Tarrytown, NY
(about 45 minutes north of New York City) from April 25-27 with a welcoming
reception on the evening of April 24. A brief description of the goals for
the workshop is given below. Information on the workshop including a list
of invited speakers, a registration and housing form, and a poster
submission form, can be found at the workshop website -
http://nslsweb.nsls.bnl.gov/nsls/org/workshops/2002-SMB/. This web site
will be frequently updated, in particular, a schedule of times and titles
for the invited talks will be added shortly. The number of participants
that the workshop can accommodate is limited so, to insure participation,
please submit your registration forms and workshop fees at your earliest
convenience.

    Soft matter and biomaterials research is truly an interdisciplinary
endeavor. It has become a major growth area in physics, chemistry, biology,
materials science and engineering. Soft matter and biomaterials research
encompasses a wide range of different systems including: liquid crystals,
polymers, di-block co-polymers, proteins, protein/lipid composites, and
inorganic/organic complexes. These systems have in common the self-assembly
of the component molecules into unique and complex phases. These phases can
incorporate defects and, when a composite, they can exhibit properties
distinct from those of their constituents. Many of these systems are
studied in confined geometries, after being processed into nano-scaled
assemblies, or as naturally occurring components of biological
organizations such as bone or brain tissue. The structure of these complex
assemblies as well as the associated dynamics and phase transitions are
interesting in themselves and crucial to understand for their incorporation
into devices or use as diagnostic probes.

Synchrotron techniques, enhanced by complementary neutron scattering
results, enable a thorough characterization of the complex soft matter and
biomaterials structures as well as their dynamical response. In additional
to conventional x-ray diffraction, the types of synchrotron techniques that
are important for soft matter and biomaterials research include: IR
microspectroscopy, time-dependent IR, low energy resonant x-ray scattering,
conventional and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering, x-ray reflectivity
and surface scattering, x-ray microscopy, microdiffraction, and photon
correlation spectroscopy.

The workshop will attempt to identify the outstanding problems in the field
of soft matter and biomaterials as well as the important refinements in the
synchrotron techniques that are required to effectively resolve the
structure and dynamics of these assemblies. Our expectation is to summarize
the highlights of the workshop in a published report.

For those of you who decide to attend the workshop, we look forward to your
participation in what we hope will be an enjoyable and productive meeting.
Finally, please distribute the workshop flyer to your colleagues!

Sincerely,

John Flanagan    Ben Ocko      Ron Pindak
--
John Flanagan, Co-Chair
Biology Department
P.O. Box 5000, Bldg. 463
Upton, NY  11973-5000
631-344-2792
jflanagan@bnl.gov

Ben Ocko, Co-Chair
Physics Department
P.O. Box 5000, Bldg. 510B
Upton, NY  11973-5000
631-344-4299
ocko@bnl.gov

Ron Pindak, Co-Chair
National Synchrotron Light Source
P.O. Box 5000, Bldg. 725D
Upton, NY  11973-5000
631-344-7529
pindak@bnl.gov

Corinne Messana, Workshop Staff
National Synchrotron Light Source
P.O. Box 5000, Bldg. 725D
Upton, NY  11973-5000
messana@bnl.gov




----------------- End Forwarded Message -----------------

-- 
Dr. John D. Barnes                      NIST polymer Characterization
Group (retired)
Mail Stop 8544                            Phone 301-975-6786 (Home office
301-652-0667)
Bldg 224, Rm A221                      Fax: 301-975-4977
100 Bureau Dr.                            mailto: john.barnes@nist.gov
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8544    url: http://polymers.nist.gov/staff/
detail.cfm?SID=110